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House File 2562 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to child sexual abuse and child sexual assault
2awareness and prevention.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.9, subsection 46, paragraph a, Code
22020, is amended to read as follows:
3a. Develop and make available to school districts, examples
4of age-appropriate and research-based materials and lists
5of resources which parents may use to teach their children
6to recognize unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances,
7to not make unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances,
8to effectively reject unwanted sexual advances, that it is
9wrong to take advantage of or exploit another person, about
10the dangers of sexual exploitation by means of the internet
11including specific strategies to help students protect
12themselves and their personally identifiable information
13from such exploitation, and about counseling, medical, and
14legal resources available to survivors of sexual abuse and
15sexual assault, including resources for escaping violent
16relationships. The materials and resources shall cover verbal,
17physical, and visual sexual harassment, including nonconsensual
18sexual advances, and nonconsensual physical sexual contact
19and shall also cover child sexual abuse and child sexual
20assault awareness and prevention. In developing the materials
21and resource list, the director shall consult with entities
22that shall include but not be limited to the departments of
23human services, public health, and public safety, education
24stakeholders, and parent-teacher organizations. School
25districts shall provide age-appropriate and research-based
26materials and a list of available community and internet-based
27resources to parents at registration and shall also include
28the age-appropriate and research-based materials and resource
29list in the student handbook. School districts are encouraged
30to work with their communities to provide voluntary parent
31education sessions to provide parents with the skills and
32appropriate strategies to teach their children as described
33in this subsection. School districts shall incorporate the
34age-appropriate and research-based materials into relevant
35curricula and shall reinforce the importance of preventive
-1-1measures when reasonable with parents and students.
2 Sec. 2. Section 256.9, subsection 46, Code 2020, is amended
3by adding the following new paragraph:
4 NEW PARAGRAPH. c. Provide a resource list to school
5districts of national, state, or local nonprofit organizations
6which provide free or low-cost research-based child sexual
7abuse and child sexual assault awareness and prevention
8programs for children prekindergarten through grade twelve.
9A school district may partner with a nonprofit organization
10with expertise in child sexual abuse and child sexual assault
11awareness and prevention to meet the requirements of paragraph
12“a”.
13 Sec. 3. Section 272.2, Code 2020, is amended by adding the
14following new subsection:
15 NEW SUBSECTION. 23. Adopt rules establishing continuing
16education requirements for renewal of a license, certificate,
17statement of professional recognition, or authorization.
18Continuing education activities may include but are not limited
19to participating in or presenting at in-service training
20programs on child sexual abuse and sexual assault awareness and
21prevention.
22 Sec. 4. Section 279.50, subsection 2, Code 2020, is amended
23to read as follows:
242. Each school board shall provide age-appropriate and
25research-based instruction in human growth and development,
26unless a pupil’s parent or guardian has requested the pupil
27be excused from such instruction as provided in subsection 5,
28 including instruction regarding human the following:
29a. Humansexuality, self-esteem, stress management,
30interpersonal relationships, domestic abuse, HPV and the
31availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV, and acquired immune
32deficiency syndrome as required in section 256.11, in grades
33one through twelve.
34b. Child sexual abuse and child sexual assault awareness
35and prevention in kindergarten through grade twelve, and in
-2-1prekindergarten if the school district offers a prekindergarten
2program. A school board may collaborate with nonprofit
3organizations with expertise in child sexual abuse and
4child sexual assault awareness and prevention and may rely
5on available internet-based child sexual abuse and child
6sexual assault awareness and prevention programs to meet the
7requirements of this paragraph.
8 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
9with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
10compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
11be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
12received by the school district under section 257.16. This
13specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
14to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of
15section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
16shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
17by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
18districts.
19EXPLANATION
20The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
21the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
22This bill relates to child sexual abuse and sexual assault
23awareness and prevention by providing that continuing education
24activities authorized by the board of educational examiners
25for purposes of renewing a license, certificate, statement
26of professional recognition, or authorization may include
27participating in or presenting at in-service training programs
28on child sexual abuse and child sexual assault awareness
29and prevention. The bill also requires school boards to
30provide, unless a pupil’s parent or guardian has requested the
31pupil be excused from such instruction, age-appropriate and
32research-based instruction in child sexual abuse and child
33sexual assault awareness and prevention as part of the human
34growth and development instruction in kindergarten through
35grade 12, and in prekindergarten if a school district offers a
-3-1prekindergarten program. A school board may collaborate with
2nonprofit organizations with expertise in child sexual abuse
3and sexual assault awareness and prevention and may rely on
4available internet-based programs to meet the requirements.
5Currently, the director of the department of education has a
6duty to develop and make available to school districts examples
7of age-appropriate and research-based materials. The bill
8specifies that the age-appropriate and research-based materials
9and resources shall also cover child sexual abuse and child
10sexual assault awareness and prevention. The director shall
11provide a resource list to school districts of organizations
12which provide free or low-cost research-based child sexual
13abuse and child sexual assault awareness and prevention
14programs.
15The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
16section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of
17any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
18district from state school foundation aid received by the
19school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
20is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
21funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The
22inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
23requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
24mandates included in the bill.
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2awareness and prevention.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.9, subsection 46, paragraph a, Code
22020, is amended to read as follows:
3a. Develop and make available to school districts, examples
4of age-appropriate and research-based materials and lists
5of resources which parents may use to teach their children
6to recognize unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances,
7to not make unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances,
8to effectively reject unwanted sexual advances, that it is
9wrong to take advantage of or exploit another person, about
10the dangers of sexual exploitation by means of the internet
11including specific strategies to help students protect
12themselves and their personally identifiable information
13from such exploitation, and about counseling, medical, and
14legal resources available to survivors of sexual abuse and
15sexual assault, including resources for escaping violent
16relationships. The materials and resources shall cover verbal,
17physical, and visual sexual harassment, including nonconsensual
18sexual advances, and nonconsensual physical sexual contact
19and shall also cover child sexual abuse and child sexual
20assault awareness and prevention. In developing the materials
21and resource list, the director shall consult with entities
22that shall include but not be limited to the departments of
23human services, public health, and public safety, education
24stakeholders, and parent-teacher organizations. School
25districts shall provide age-appropriate and research-based
26materials and a list of available community and internet-based
27resources to parents at registration and shall also include
28the age-appropriate and research-based materials and resource
29list in the student handbook. School districts are encouraged
30to work with their communities to provide voluntary parent
31education sessions to provide parents with the skills and
32appropriate strategies to teach their children as described
33in this subsection. School districts shall incorporate the
34age-appropriate and research-based materials into relevant
35curricula and shall reinforce the importance of preventive
-1-1measures when reasonable with parents and students.
2 Sec. 2. Section 256.9, subsection 46, Code 2020, is amended
3by adding the following new paragraph:
4 NEW PARAGRAPH. c. Provide a resource list to school
5districts of national, state, or local nonprofit organizations
6which provide free or low-cost research-based child sexual
7abuse and child sexual assault awareness and prevention
8programs for children prekindergarten through grade twelve.
9A school district may partner with a nonprofit organization
10with expertise in child sexual abuse and child sexual assault
11awareness and prevention to meet the requirements of paragraph
12“a”.
13 Sec. 3. Section 272.2, Code 2020, is amended by adding the
14following new subsection:
15 NEW SUBSECTION. 23. Adopt rules establishing continuing
16education requirements for renewal of a license, certificate,
17statement of professional recognition, or authorization.
18Continuing education activities may include but are not limited
19to participating in or presenting at in-service training
20programs on child sexual abuse and sexual assault awareness and
21prevention.
22 Sec. 4. Section 279.50, subsection 2, Code 2020, is amended
23to read as follows:
242. Each school board shall provide age-appropriate and
25research-based instruction in human growth and development,
26unless a pupil’s parent or guardian has requested the pupil
27be excused from such instruction as provided in subsection 5,
28 including instruction regarding human the following:
29a. Humansexuality, self-esteem, stress management,
30interpersonal relationships, domestic abuse, HPV and the
31availability of a vaccine to prevent HPV, and acquired immune
32deficiency syndrome as required in section 256.11, in grades
33one through twelve.
34b. Child sexual abuse and child sexual assault awareness
35and prevention in kindergarten through grade twelve, and in
-2-1prekindergarten if the school district offers a prekindergarten
2program. A school board may collaborate with nonprofit
3organizations with expertise in child sexual abuse and
4child sexual assault awareness and prevention and may rely
5on available internet-based child sexual abuse and child
6sexual assault awareness and prevention programs to meet the
7requirements of this paragraph.
8 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
9with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
10compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
11be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
12received by the school district under section 257.16. This
13specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
14to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of
15section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
16shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
17by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
18districts.
19EXPLANATION
20The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
21the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
22This bill relates to child sexual abuse and sexual assault
23awareness and prevention by providing that continuing education
24activities authorized by the board of educational examiners
25for purposes of renewing a license, certificate, statement
26of professional recognition, or authorization may include
27participating in or presenting at in-service training programs
28on child sexual abuse and child sexual assault awareness
29and prevention. The bill also requires school boards to
30provide, unless a pupil’s parent or guardian has requested the
31pupil be excused from such instruction, age-appropriate and
32research-based instruction in child sexual abuse and child
33sexual assault awareness and prevention as part of the human
34growth and development instruction in kindergarten through
35grade 12, and in prekindergarten if a school district offers a
-3-1prekindergarten program. A school board may collaborate with
2nonprofit organizations with expertise in child sexual abuse
3and sexual assault awareness and prevention and may rely on
4available internet-based programs to meet the requirements.
5Currently, the director of the department of education has a
6duty to develop and make available to school districts examples
7of age-appropriate and research-based materials. The bill
8specifies that the age-appropriate and research-based materials
9and resources shall also cover child sexual abuse and child
10sexual assault awareness and prevention. The director shall
11provide a resource list to school districts of organizations
12which provide free or low-cost research-based child sexual
13abuse and child sexual assault awareness and prevention
14programs.
15The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
16section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of
17any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
18district from state school foundation aid received by the
19school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
20is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
21funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The
22inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
23requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
24mandates included in the bill.
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